Notes: This was written to celebrate getting my own web site.
Thank you to Hoyden for beta. Remaining mistakes are my own.

The first time was fraught with a certain awkwardness. Stephen
leaned in, intending to
press his lips to Jack's own, but managed instead to earn them each a
sound knock on the
forehead. They pulled back at once, hands moving to hold the points of
impact. Stephen
felt a disappointed certainty that the moment was lost; but Jack
surprised him by
considering him for a few tense moments before moving closer to bring
their mouths into
proximity. Emboldened by this clear gesture of permission, Stephen
covered the
remaining distance, this time succeeding only in catching the right
hand corner of Jack's
mouth in a kiss.

The following night it was Jack who seemed to aim for Stephen's cheek
but instead
found the side of his chin.

The night after that they succeeded at last in finding their mark,
bringing their mouths
flush against one another without any confusion. Once arriving there,
however, they
appeared to forget how to proceed, as if too surprised at their own
success to act upon it.

It was three nights more before the light kisses deepened,
incorporating tongues and
hands and the occasional whispered endearment.

When he recalled those simple beginnings, Stephen was surprised at the
slowness of his
progress. Several weeks passed before he learned that a small bite at
the base of Jack's
neck made the man gasp, or that fingers through his hair made him sigh
in contentment.

He supposed that, like playing the cello, it required repetition and
diligence to become
adept; Stephen fully intended to become a virtuoso.